Document Type
Conference Proceeding
Language
eng
Format of Original
1 p.
Publication Date
2012
Publisher
MIT Press
Source Publication
Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience
Source ISSN
0898-929X
Abstract
The apolipoproteinE epsilon4 (APOE-?4) allele is associated with cognitive decline in old age and is a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Physical activity (P A) is associated with a reduced risk of incident cognitive impairment, particularly among APOE-?4 carriers. We recently reported greater semantic memory related brain activation in cognitively intact physically active (High P A) APOE-?4 carriers compared to physically inactive (Low PA) ?4 carriers and non-carriers (Smith et al., 2011). Here, we compared longitudinal changes in semantic memory-related brain activation in High PA and Low PA APOE-?4 carriers. Thirty-two older ?4 carriers completed neuropsychological testing and a fMRI semantic memory task (famous name discrimination) at baseline and after 18 months. All participants were cognitively intact at baseline and were classified as High PA (n = 16) or Low PA (n = 16) based on self-report. After 18 months, 5 of 16 High P A and 13 of 16 Low P A were classified as cognitively declining by at least 1 SD decrease in neurocognitive performance (Group difference, p = .011, Fisher's exact test). A fROI analysis of the fMRI data and repeated measures ANOV As revealed significant Group by Time interactions for intensity of semantic memory-related activation. Significantly greater activation at baseline in the High PA group was attenuated over time (no change in Low P A) and resulted in no group differences at the 18-month follow-up. These findings suggest that greater P A at baseline is associated with greater cognitive stability over 18-months in APOE-?4 carriers and reduced neural activation during fame discrimination.
Recommended Citation
Smith, J. Carson; Durgerian, Sally; Woodard, John L.; Nielson, Kristy A.; Butts, Alissa; Hantke, Nathan; Seidenberg, Michael; Lancaster, Melissa A.; Matthews, Monica; Sugarman, Michael; and Rao, Stephen M., "Longitudinal Associations between Physical Activity, Cognitive Status, and Brain Function in Older Adults at Genetic Risk for Alzheimer’s Disease" (2012). Psychology Faculty Research and Publications. 155.
https://epublications.marquette.edu/psych_fac/155
Comments
Published version. Published as part of the proceedings of the conference, 2012 Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Neuroscience Society, 2012: 71. Publisher Link. © 2012 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Press (MIT Press). Used with permission.